FTers like to debate the finer points of the frequent guest programs such as earn/burn ratios, lounge access, and free breakfast, but I think for many of us-- whether or not we like to admit it-- a big part of it is simple practicality. Which chain has good properties in the places we need or want to travel to?

When I started traveling heavily several years ago I was a Starwood elite because they had a great hotel in one location I visited frequently for my job. I knew the details of the program and thought it was great. But then my travel pattern changed and I found that Starwood either had no properties in the places I needed to stay or had crummy properties. I shifted over to Hilton, which had far more properties overall and better standards.

For a few years I was a Hilton elite. I learned their program and how to extract the most from it. Eventually they changed the rules and devalued their points. I was pretty pissed about that and shifted over to Marriott. But a critical part of my decision to shift loyalty was, again, a change in my own travel pattern. At the same time as I was pissed at Hilton I was finding that they had few hotels or poor choices in the cities I needed to travel to, while Marriott had much better options.

For the last few years I've been a Marriott loyalist. My travel pattern has shifted again, though, and now I'm seeing that Marriott properties are running about 20% more expensive than comparable Hilton properties in two of the areas I travel to most. At some point I might get tired of all the bargain-hunting effort it takes to find fair prices in these areas and switch back to Hilton.